Uttar Pradesh Reports 373 Lightning Deaths In 2024-25, Eastern UP Worst Hit

Lucknow: Year after year, lightning strikes continue to claim hundreds of lives in Uttar Pradesh, with eastern districts and Bundelkhand bearing the maximum brunt. Official figures show that in 2024-25 alone, 373 people died in the state due to lightning, out of which 299 fatalities occurred in eastern UP and Bundelkhand.

The government’s data highlights that nearly 80 percent of the deaths happened in these two regions. Eastern UP reported 217 deaths and Bundelkhand 82, while western UP saw 47 deaths and central UP 27.

District-wise analysis over the past four years shows that Sonbhadra, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Banda, Chandauli, Pratapgarh, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur, Ghazipur, Ballia and Prayagraj have consistently reported the highest number of deaths. In contrast, districts like Hapur, Muzaffarnagar and Rampur did not report a single lightning-related fatality during this period.

Experts believe that unchecked mining and deforestation are major reasons why eastern UP and Bundelkhand witness more lightning strikes. According to Professor N.K. Pandey of Lucknow University’s physics department, rising local temperatures caused by mining activities and loss of tree cover combine with warm winds from the Bay of Bengal and pollution particles to form smaller clouds. The presence of rivers adds humidity, making conditions favourable for lightning.

“These small clouds, when they collide, generate electrical charges that eventually strike the ground, killing people and damaging trees and animals. While this explains much of the phenomenon, there is still a need for deeper research to understand all the factors behind the high death toll in these regions,” Pandey said.

The statistics mask the personal tragedies left behind in the villages. In Pratapgarh’s Lalganj, 35-year-old Ramesh Yadav was working in his field when he was struck by lightning in July. His widow Sunita now struggles to feed her three children. “We lost the only earning member of the family. There was no storm warning, nothing. He had just gone to check the crop,” she said, fighting back tears.

In Chitrakoot, 14-year-old Rahul was returning home from school when he was killed in a sudden strike. His father, a daily wage worker, said, “We are poor, we cannot afford to keep children indoors all the time. Who can fight nature?”

For many families, compensation comes too late and often does not match the loss. Villagers say awareness drives are limited, and people rarely know the basic precautions that can save lives during thunderstorms.

Lightning is a natural electrical discharge caused by the rapid movement of charges between clouds or between clouds and the ground. It is most common during the monsoon season and is among the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the state.

With the toll rising every year, eastern UP and Bundelkhand families remain on edge every monsoon, bracing for a disaster that comes not with floods or droughts, but with a bolt from the sky.

Rising Toll Over Four Years

The state has witnessed a steady increase in casualties from lightning strikes:

2021-22: 273 deaths

2022-23: 301 deaths

2023-24: 322 deaths

2024-25: 373 deaths